Health Care Special Deals: What's Left In?

The widely-reviled "Cornhusker Kickback" is out. A little special treatment for Tennessee is in. A special deal for a North Dakota bank almost made it in.

Democrats unveiling revisions Thursday to their health care overhaul bill decided to kill the extra $100 million in Medicaid funds for Nebraska that has become a symbol of backdoor deal making.

But the 153 pages of changes to the massive health care package do include extra money for hospitals in Tennessee that serve large numbers of low-income patients. Democrats say the money simply brings Tennessee up to par with the rest of the country.

And though the bill would revamp the nation's student loan system to make the government the only lender, lawmakers briefly considered allowing just one bank -- the state-owned Bank of North Dakota -- to continue making student loans.

Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D. ended up scrubbing that provision. Fearing it would become a target by Republicans in what he said is "an overly heated partisan environment," he asked the House late Thursday to remove it from the legislation.

Still alive is special spending for Louisiana, Connecticut, Montana and other states that was included in the health care bill that the Senate approved in December. The House may give it final approval this weekend.

Senior White House officials have sent mixed signals about the special deals. They initially demanded that they be eliminated, but by Sunday senior White House adviser David Axelrod said they only objected to provisions affecting just one state.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs last week singled out projects from Montana and Connecticut as items President Barack Obama wanted removed. There was resistance, however, from two influential committee chairmen, Democratic Sens. Max Baucus of Montana and Christopher Dodd of Connecticut, and their projects have survived.

To help win the vote of Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., the massive measure the Senate passed on Christmas Eve had included $100 million that only Nebraska would get in added federal Medicaid assistance.

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Immediately mocked as the Cornhusker Kickback, critics called it the epitome of special Washington dealing, and even Nelson advocated ending his state's special treatment. Under the changes announced Thursday, the Nebraska provision would be deleted and all states would get additional Medicaid help from Washington.

Also eliminated from the Senate measure was a provision allowing about 800,000 elderly Floridians to keep enhanced Medicare benefits that are being cut for residents of other states.

The changes also include an additional $99 million in 2012 and 2013 for Tennessee hospitals that treat many poor people.

Retiring Rep. Bart Gordon, D-Tenn., has fought for the funds for years to bring the state's aid up to par with the rest of the country, spokeswoman Emily Phelps said. She said their inclusion had nothing to do with his announcement Thursday that he will vote for the final health legislation after opposing an earlier version in November.

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The new package also promises new aid for colleges serving minority students, using money the government is supposed to save by no longer paying banks to make student loans. Included are annual payments of $100 million for schools with large numbers of Hispanic students, the same amount for colleges with many black students, and millions more for schools with large numbers of native Americans and other minorities.

Based on Thursday's changes, the health legislation also:

Retains $300 million in extra Medicaid aid for Louisiana, which had helped win support for the Senate health bill from Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La. The state is still struggling to recover from Hurricane Katrina.

Keeps $100 million included in the Senate bill that is expected to go for a public hospital in Connecticut sought by Dodd, who is retiring.

Preserves language won by Baucus permitting many of the 2,900 residents of Libby, Mont., to qualify for Medicare benefits. Some of them have asbestos-related diseases from a now-shuttered mine.

Provides an additional $8.5 billion over the next decade for 11 states and the District of Columbia to help them pay for the more generous Medicaid assistance they have been providing low-income residents. These states are Arizona, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.

Maintains a Senate-approved provision giving extra money for hospitals and doctors in North and South Dakota, Montana and Wyoming.

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[gonesouth]

Is it my guess or am I naive, that during ther republican "era" there might have been deals done by those who now so sactimoniously derride this process? It seems as though I fleetingly remember something about the Bush folks and the pharmaceutical folks when the unfunded drug benefit issue was so highly touted by the republican majority. Am I just imagining this or was it real? Ah... American politics.

[Freedomforever88]

The Federal govt needs money to run stop giving it money!

[stormerF2]

Why do we have to have special deals if this health care bill is so good for Americans,why all the bribery? How will this bill,reduce the illegals from use of the Emergency rooms? Mandating Americans to buy Health Insurance,but not allowing illegals to purchase health insurance with their own money? while Punishing Americans for using the Emergency rooms with out health insurance,So what type of penality will the illegals face for not having insurance when using the Emergency rooms? How does that work?

[RobAla]

You are exactly right. The only real winner in bill is the federal government. It and our health care costs will grow, as our wallets and liberties shrink. This is a terrible bill, and most in Washington know it.

[pajamaparty]

If this socialist healthcare plan passes, I'm going to quit my job and go on the dole and tell everyone to do the same. I'm going to start the 'pajama party'. Why go to work everyday when I can just go on the dole and get all these freebees. Unfortunately, if people like me stop working, where do the rubes think they are going to get the money to pay for all this stuff. I don't understand why people are no longer required to take care of themselves. When did America become socialist? Taxation without representation is alive a well and the governement could care less about the American people. This bill is outrageous in everyway and the fact that they are ram rodding it down our throats only emphasizes the fact that they don't want anyone looking too close at the details. The American people will really suffer for this and I incourage everyone to stop paying into the beast.

[MADDAT52]

The armies for liberty are gathering strength all over the nation, some political some militant. The advance of communism is going to be met with a wall of resistance that will form after the Sunday vote. This will be the straw that breaks the camels back. We will not be ruled over by an oppressive central power and they should expect to meat with a strong resistance wherever they attempt to force their will upon us. The government has gone out of control with a lust for power; we must and will stop the enemies advance against our liberty.

[MADDAT52]

The armies for liberty are gathering strength all over the nation, some political some militant. The advance of communism is going to be met with a wall of resistance that will form after the Sunday vote. This will be the straw that breaks the camels back. We will not be ruled over by an oppressive central power and they should expect to meat with a strong resistance wherever they attempt to force their will upon us. The government has gone out of control with a lust for power; we must and will stop the enemies advance against our liberty.

[MADDAT52]

The armies for liberty are gathering strength all over the nation, some political some militant. The advance of communism is going to be met with a wall of resistance that will form after the Sunday vote. This will be the straw that breaks the camels back. We will not be ruled over by an oppressive central power and they should expect to meat with a strong resistance wherever they attempt to force their will upon us. The government has gone out of control with a lust for power; we must and will stop the enemies advance against our liberty.

[MADDAT52]

The armies for liberty are gathering strength all over the nation, some political some militant. The advance of communism is going to be met with a wall of resistance that will form after the Sunday vote. This will be the straw that breaks the camels back. We will not be ruled over by an oppressive central power and they should expect to meat with a strong resistance wherever they attempt to force their will upon us. The government has gone out of control with a lust for power; we must and will stop the enemies advance against our liberty.

[RobAla]

03/19/10: The StarTribune (Minnesota paper):

"The Congressional Budget Office said Friday that rolling back a programmed cut in Medicare fees to doctors would cost $208 billion over 10 years. If added back to the health care overhaul bill, it would wipe out all the deficit reduction, leaving the legislation $59 billion in the red."

If the cuts are left in, Seniors are screwed over. Many doctors are already refusing to take Medicare patients because of the extremely low pay they receive for service from this government program. In the current health care bill, Medicare payments to doctors will be cut another 21%, which will result in even fewer doctors accepting Medicare patients. This is terrible. If Congress tries to roll back those cuts, then this health care bill will be yet another massive federal program that will add to deficit spending. This is terrible. Either way you look at it, this health care bill is a terrible bill. Not to mention the fact that it is filled with corrupt political favors, and was done in a strictly partisan manner. Or the fact that a great deal of the federal savings would the result of forcing states to pay for the system through increased Medicaid coverage. The states don?t have the money, so they will have to raise state taxes on everyone. We can do better than this lousy bill.

[RobAla]

Any worthwhile bill should be able to stand on it's own merit. It is obvious that this bill does not.